It is known as lal qila (lal means red and qila means fort). It is laid out along the river Yamuna as an irregular octagon. It is surrounded by a wall of about 2.4 Kilometers in circumference and is built of Red Sandstone. The Mughal King Shah Jahan transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi and the fort was completed in 1648, nine years after the king shifted to this city. The fort has two main entrances, the Delhi Gate and the Lahori Gate, which faces the famed Chandni Chowk market.

Shah Jahan, incidentally was also the king who built the Taj Mahal of Agra. The fort has the Diwan-e-am, where the king would grant audience to the public to listen to their problems. The other feature is the Diwan-e-Khas (khas means special) where the king would grant audience to important people.

Besides this, is the Rang Mahal, the water-cooled apartment for the royal ladies. In the basement of the fort is a market where several traditional Indian goods can be purchased at nominal rates. Another attraction is the Light and Sound Show held in the evenings.